Christmas Eve in Miami
by Rodea McWin
Summary: A blackout on Christmas Eve in Miami finds the gang stuck at the station. With nothing to do while they wait for the power to come back on, the gang hang out & have Christmas together. Stories of Christmas's past eventually become the topic of the party.
1. Chapter 1

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Author's Note: Well here is a little story for Christmas. I don't know if I will get it done before Christmas is here, but I thought I would write something different for a change. This story takes place before several of the key people had left the show so Alexx and Eric will be in it. I refuse to allow Jesse or Walter in any of my stories since I really hate how they seem to of taken over the new season CSI Miami. I use to joke that they should have changed the name of the show to the Horatio and Delko show, but now they might as well call it the Jesse and Walter show. Well I'm sorry if I offend those of you that like the new characters, but this is just the way I feel about it. Maybe if they had just introduced Jesse and allowed him to interact with the other CSI without having Walter there all the time I might have eventually liked him, but they didn't so I don't. Well enough of my rambling, on with the story. Hope you like it.  
I wish a Merry Christmas or happy holiday (to those who don't celebrate Christmas) to all who visit this story.

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Twas the night before Christmas, and all throughout Miami  
Not a CSI was stirring, because the lights were all out;

Their kits and guns were all tucked away with care,  
In hopes that the need to use them would not be there;

The CSI were nestled all snug on the break room couches,  
While visions of a bright and cheerful Christmas danced in their heads.

And Horatio in his blue suit and the rest of his cast,  
Had just settled down to tell stories of Christmas's past

No one was sure why the power went out in Miami, but it could not have come at a worst time. It was Christmas Eve and the whole town was shut down. People were being told to stay off the streets since the street lights were not working. This news was not something they wanted to hear since it meant that any plans for the evening were put on hold. People could go out and try to get where ever they were going, but they risked being pulled over and possibly arrested. The last time this had happened in Miami the crime rate soared to record levels so this time the city was trying to be proactive by telling everyone to stay put.

Luckily for most people who had to work at the station on Christmas Eve, this news came after they had already left. There were only a handful of people that had either agreed to work second shift or just didn't have any need to rush out of here to get where ever they were going.

Horatio was still there when the news came, but his reason for still being at work was not because he didn't have anywhere to be that night, he just hadn't left yet. His plans were to spend Christmas with his son Kyle; something for which he was looking forward to. But he was willing to wait. At least they had lights at the station; that is as long as the generator stayed on.

He walked into the locker room and found a familiar face. "Hello Eric, I'm surprised to see you're still here".

Eric looked up from his locker as he heard Horatio, "Hey H, yeah, I really didn't have any plans until tomorrow so I decided to stay late and finish up a few things. How come your still here, I thought you were going to see Kyle?"

"I was, but it will have to wait until the city declares it ok to venture out".

Eric finished with his locker and closed the door, "I hope it's soon. The last time this happened we were so busy with the aftermath. I think that was a record breaking amount of crimes that happened in those 12 hours so the sooner they get the lights back on the better".

Horatio was just about to respond when the door opened. He turned and saw that it was Calleigh.

Calleigh knew that Eric was still here and was coming to get him, but she was happy when she saw Horatio, "Hey guys, a few of us are having a little Christmas party in the break room since we don't have a clue as to how long we will be here. I expect both of you to come and join us".

Eric gave Calleigh a big smile as he walked over to her, "I wouldn't miss it for the world babe". He looked over in Horatio's direction, "How about you H, you gonna join us?"

Horatio couldn't help but smile at his two CSI, "You heard the lady Eric; we're both expected to come".

Calleigh led the way with both Eric and Horatio following her. When they reached the break room Eric was surprised to see that the room was filled with food and Christmas, "Wow, when you said there was going to be a party you weren't kidding. Where did all the food come from?"

"Well, since no one could go anywhere and they had food in their cars for their own parties later on, I was able to convince them to donate it for this worthy cause".

Eric pulled Calleigh into a big hug, "this is wonderful, it's exactly what we needed tonight". He bent down and kissed her. He normally would not have done that at work, but seeing that the only people in the room knew they were a couple he didn't see the harm.

Calleigh pushed Eric toward the food and then did the same to Horatio, "Ok, now I want you to go and get something to eat. I need to go and get a few more people so I will be right back".

Eric and Horatio watched as she left and then went to help themselves to some snacks.

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Calleigh had already talked to most of the people who were still here and had gotten them to show up to the party, but there was one last person on her list. She knew he had agreed to work the second shift that night and had just arrived at work before the power had gone out, but he could still come and join in the fun. She just hoped she could convince Ryan of that. He never participated in any of their past Christmas events; for reasons she didn't know, but she had to ask

She walked into the lab and found him hard at work, "Hi Ryan!"

Ryan looked up "Hey Calleigh, I thought you had left already".

"No, I was just a few minutes too late and got stuck like everyone else, except for you. I see that you agreed to work on Christmas again".

"Yeah, I don't mind. I like the peace and quiet around here".

"Well I know you just got here, but those of us who are still here are having a little party in the break room and we would like you to join us".

Ryan smiled politely and said, "I'm right in the middle of few tests, but I'll try to make an appearance if I can".

"Ok Ryan, but you better show up, or I am going to come and get you".

"Ok Calleigh, I'll do my very best". He watched as she left and was grateful that she had not been more persistent. He figured the little party was actually a Christmas party, but he was no mood to celebrate. This time of year was never his favorite and he always glad when a new year started, for it meant he ahd made it through another Christmas.

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Authors Note: this story is purely fiction. The characters as portrayed in this story have nothing in common with my other stories I have written about CSI Miami.

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Let me know what you think. I hope to get this story done before Christmas.


	2. Chapter 2

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Thanks for the reviews; it feels like Christmas has come early when I see others enjoying my story. Hope chapter 2 doesn't disappoint anyone. Some of the things in the story may be a bit farfetched for the characters to do, but it's only fiction.

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Calleigh wasn't going to give up on getting Ryan to join them, but she also didn't want to miss out on their little party. She left Ryan to his work and told herself that she would come back if he failed to show up.

She walked into the break room and the party appeared to be in full swing. There were only 8 other people there but that was all that had been left when they were told not to leave. She walked over to Eric and Horatio who were both enjoying some punch, "Hey boys, I see you have found my special punch".

Eric took a sip and said, "We did and it's delicious. Did you by any chance add your special ingredients to this?"

"Now Eric, do you think I would put vodka in the punch while we were at work, what would Horatio say?" She winked at him before helping herself to cup as well. She had indeed put a little vodka in, but not enough that would cause anyone to get trashed; unless they drank the whole bowl.

Horatio had been standing next to Eric and had listened to his conversation with Calleigh, but after looking around the room he noticed someone was missing and had to ask, "Well it looks like everyone is here except Mr. Wolfe. Did you tell him about this?"

"Of course I did Horatio, but you know him and Christmas. He said he might join us later".

Horatio acknowledged her remark be nodding his head. He then headed over to the snack table.

Calleigh walked over to the CD player and turned up the Christmas music. She then turned to the group and raised her punch glass "Merry Christmas Everyone".

Everyone in the room raised their glass to Calleigh and shouted "Merry Christmas Calleigh".

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The break room was not very close to where Ryan was working, but he could still hear the festivities going on and was having a hard time concentrating. He couldn't blame them for wanting to celebrate the holiday since they were all stuck together, but he wished they could do it a little more quietly.

As he was working on yet another test he heard the door to the lab open up. He looked up and was surprised to see Natalia wander in.

"Hi Ryan, Merry Christmas".

"Hi Natalia" was all he said back. Returning the sentiment was the last thing he wanted to do. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yeah, you can come and join us at the party. I know you don't like Christmas but it's really just a bunch of us hanging out and having fun. Surely you can handle that".

"Thanks Natalia, but I really have a lot of work left to do and I told Calleigh I would try and come later". He could see she was not buying the whole work excuse so to prove his point he went back to what he had been doing in hopes she would give up and leave.

Natalia walked over to where he was working, "What case are you working on anyway?"

Ryan sighed as he realized that he was not going to be able to get rid of her that easy, "I'm just finishing up with the case we worked on the other day. Some of the results had to be re-done before it could be introduced in court".

She wasn't buying it, but she didn't want him to stop in the middle of a test so she accepted his desire to be left alone, "Ok Ryan, but I expect to see you when you're done".

Ryan nodded his head and said, "I promise, now go have fun".

He watched her walk out of the room and went back to work. He just hoped that he would finally be left alone. Everyone knew Christmas was not his thing so I didn't understand why they were trying so hard to get him to join their party.

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Natalia arrived back at the break room and was immediately greeted by Calleigh.

"Hey Natalia, did you have any luck with Ryan?"

She shook her head, "No Calleigh, he just fed me the same excuse he gave you".

"Oh well, we shouldn't let his mood put a stop to our fun. Some of us were just about to go on a scavenger hunt for gifts to pass out, wanna join us?"

"Sure, sounds like fun".

Calleigh, Natalia, Beth from second shift and Frank grabbed a few unused bags and went off in search of gifts. They figured a few trinkets from around the place were just want the party needed to keep it alive.

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The first place the group arrived at was the supply room. "So, we have 10 people still here so I figured if we find at least two items for each then we need to find 20 things. We can use the paper from the recycling bins to wrap them up with". Calleigh took out a pen and paper and continued, "Ok, I figured that we should split up into two groups so that all of us can participate. Frank you go with Beth and check out what they have in the unclaimed items room while Natalia and I check out this supply room. Then we can switch so that you can have a chance to find some things in here as well and we'll go to where you were. That way we can all be surprised". She started writing down some names on the papers, "Ok, I am going to make up a list of 5 each for both teams, let's see, Frank you will get Natalia and me of course and why don't you take Jerry, Alexx and Todd. That leaves Horatio, Eric and Ryan and the two of you on our list".

Frank took the list from Calleigh, "Sounds good". He then turned to Beth and offered his arm and said, "Well my dear, shall we go on a scavenger hunt then?"

Beth took his arm, "yes we shall".

Calleigh smiled at the both of them as she watched them walk away humming Christmas tunes, "It's too bad Frank is already taken, the two of them would actually have made a cute couple".

Natalia agreed, "Yeah, but were here to play Santa Clause, not Cupid".

Calleigh laughed at her remark, "Yeah I know, but they are a cute couple".

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Once inside the supply room Calleigh and Natalia started gathering up items that they thought the others would like. When they were done they found that Frank and Beth were on their way back and as both switched and went in the opposite directions Natalia whispered to Calleigh, "You are absolutely right, they do make a cute couple, and if I'm mistaken I thought I saw lipstick on Frank's cheek. You don't suppose something is going on do you?"

"Come on Natalia it's none of our business, but yes I noticed that also".

They two ladies proceeded to their next destination.

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The room with all the unclaimed items was down in the basement so it took a few minutes for them to get there. Once they got there they were surprised by how much stuff was actually there. Since no one had bothered to claim the items they were up for grabs. Usually a couple times a year the station donated the items to a shelter or something, but no one would mind if they took a few things; after all it was for a good cause.

While they were looking through some boxes Natalia had to ask about Ryan, "So Calleigh, do you have any idea why Ryan hates Christmas so much?"

"I've tried to ask him, but he always manages to change the subject. He never goes home to his family so I wonder if it has anything to do with them".

"Well I can't imagine anything so bad that would make someone not like Christmas, but then again I don't know the whole story. I hope he joins us later".

"I do to. So, do you think Eric would like this?" She held up a rather ugly sweater for Natalia to see.

Natalia laughed as she said, "definitely".

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When they were done, Natalia and Calleigh went back upstairs and joined Frank and Beth. They proceeded to gather up tape and paper from the recycle bins so they could wrap the gifts they had found.

Calleigh suggested they start wrapping as she went to tell the rest of the group to be ready for Santa Clause.

As she walked into the break room, she was disappointed to see that Ryan was not there yet. As she got everyone attention she said, "Well, Santa has arrived and we'll be opening presents soon, so don't go anywhere".

The group laughed as they watched her leave.

Horatio could tell she had been looking for someone in particular when she first came in the room and he knew exactly who it was she wanted to see. He put his punch down and decided to go have a talk with Ryan.

Eric noticed that Horatio was leaving, "Hey H, Calleigh said we should stay put".

"I need to take care of something first" was all that he offered Eric. He left the room without anyone else saying a word and went straight to the lab where he knew he would find Ryan.

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Author's Note: Well hope you liked chapter 2. This story is not going to be super long but I still hope to get it finished before Christmas.


	3. Chapter 3

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Ryan was taking a break from his testing when the door once again opened. He was about to tell Calleigh or Natalia that he was still working but he was surprised when he saw it was Horatio who had come into the lab.

"Hey H, is there something I can do for you?"

"There is Mr. Wolfe. Have you completed the tests you were running?"

Ryan wanted to say he wasn't, but in fact he had been done for the last 10 minutes and he knew he couldn't lie to his boss, "Yes, they are finished".

"That's good to hear Mr. Wolfe. What are you planning on doing next?"

"I was going to work on another case that I started on the other day". He didn't know if Horatio would buy this excuse or not. He really didn't have much else to do right at the moment, but he knew if given enough time he could find all kinds of things.

Horatio walked closer to Ryan and looked at a few things he had been working on, "Well, I think these can wait. I would like you to join me in the break room. You must be hungry and there is plenty of food left".

Ryan tugged at the collar on his lab coat. He had never expected Horatio to come in and ask him to join in the party so he had nothing rehearsed. "Well, I really should get these done before I leave work?"

"The tests can wait until later. I expect to see you in the break room in the next 10 minutes".

This was not what Ryan wanted to hear. Horatio had not stated he was an order, but by the tone in his voice it may as well of been. He looked around the lab and tried to find some excuse as to why he couldn't make it so he decided he would just go and make an appearance. It wasn't like it was a real Christmas party they were having anyway so what could be the harm.

He cleaned up his area and removed his lab coat. As he stood at the wall where he would hang his coat up he hesitated. A minute later he finally hung up his coat and went to join the others.

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When Horatio arrived back at the party he found that he had not been missed and was grateful he didn't have to explain his disappearance to Calleigh. He grabbed a cookie and sat down on the couch to wait.

The music was playing "Frosty the Snowman" when Calleigh came through the door with the other Santa's. They each had a red hat on their head and a bag slung over their backs.

Calleigh looked around the room and was glad to see that no one had left, but she was also disappointed to see that Ryan had not shown up yet. She was really hoping to have found him here when she got back. She looked over at Natalia and could tell she was thinking the same thing. But this was Christmas and they were not about the let one person spoil their fun. They would go and get Ryan later if they had to.

As the four Santa's made their way to the table in the center of the room, the others in the room joined them. Calleigh once again took the lead and announced "Well it wouldn't be Christmas without a few presents to open". She pulled out a gift from her bag to pass it out but of course the first gift she pulled out was for Ryan. She stared at it briefly and was just about to put it in the bag when she heard the door open. She looked up and saw it was Ryan. A large smile formed on her face.

Ryan walked into the room and saw everyone by the main table, but he didn't have a clue as to why they were all standing there. He heard music playing on the radio and saw that there was indeed food on the table and lights strung up all around the place. It certainly looked like a Christmas party; which made it hard for him to walk any further into the room. He wanted to bolt out the door but he saw that Calleigh was walking toward him.

"Ryan, I'm so glad you decided to join us. Please come in and have some punch". She took him by the arm and led him to the table, where she proceeded to pour him a large glass. She hoped that her special ingredient would be just want Ryan needed to take the edge off of being here.

Ryan took the glass and took a few sips. "It's good, thanks Calleigh".

"Great, now you're just in time for presents so I want you to go and sit down with everyone at the table".

Ryan took another sip; a rather large sip. He had heard about Calleigh's punch before and he hoped her special ingredient was in it. It would be just the ticket for him to make it through the night.

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Calleigh walked over to her bag and proceeded to hand out the first present. "Ok, let's see what we have here. It looks like we have a present for Eric". She handed it to him while the rest looked on.

Eric looked at the oddly wrapped gift and said "Thanks Calleigh, should I open it?"

"Of course you should open it".

Eric tore the paper off the gift and grinned at what he saw. It had to be one of the ugliest sweaters he had seen in a long time.

Calleigh wanted to start laughing, but she managed to keep it to just a smile as she said, "Well, hold it up so we can all see it".

Eric hesitated but did as he was told. When he held up the sweater everyone started laughing.

Frank was laughing the hardest when he said, "Well that looks perfect for you Eric; I think you should wear that for the rest of the evening".

Eric glared at Frank but when the rest of the bunch all chimed in that they agreed with Frank he decided to play along and put it on.

As everyone was laughing at Eric, Horatio stole a glance at Ryan and was pleased to see that he was smiling.

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As the gifts were passed out there was a lot of laughter erupting from everyone one as they opened their gifts. When it came to Calleigh handing out one to Ryan the laughter died away as they all watched his reaction. They knew he didn't really enjoy this holiday so they didn't know how he would l feel.

Calleigh held the box out to Ryan, "I hope you didn't think we had forgotten about you".

Ryan took the box from Calleigh, "thanks Calleigh, do you think I can open it later?"

Calleigh knew this was not easy for him but she really wanted him to have a good time, "It's not much Ryan, this is all just for fun. I think it would be ok if you open it".

Ryan closed his eyes briefly as he held on to the box. He knew this wasn't a serious party, but it was still a Christmas party. He opened his eyes again and saw that everyone was watching him; waiting for him to do something. As he sat there memories started to pop into this head and he just couldn't deal with it. He put the gift on the table, "I'm sorry Calleigh, I just can't do this right now". He pushed his chair back and got up; making his way to the door. He needed to get some air; all this Christmas stuff was starting to get to him.

Everyone in the room watched him go and Alexx was just about to go after him when she was stopped by Calleigh, "I'll go and talk to him Alexx, why don't you go back to the party".

Alexx looked at Calleigh for a moment before saying, "Ok Calleigh, but take care of my baby boy".

"You know I will". She left the party and went to find Ryan.

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Author's note: Well, this is coming out of my head at a rather good pace, so I shouldn't have a hard time getting it done before Christmas. I may even have another chapter done before the day is through; that of course depends on my own Christmas. I have some more shopping to do so I can't guarantee anything.


	4. Chapter 4

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Calleigh found Ryan standing outside of one of the back doors. She wasn't quite sure what to say to him but she would figure it out when she was out there with him.

"Hi Ryan, do you mind if I join you?"

"No I don't mind. Look, I'm sorry for leaving your party, but it just brought some unpleasant memories that I really didn't want to remember".

Calleigh moved next to Ryan and put her hand on his, "I'm here to listen if you feel the need to talk about it".

"Thanks Calleigh, but I don't want to spoil your party. Tell you what, give me a few more minutes and then I'll come back and join you; OK?"

She patted his hand once again and said, "Sure Ryan, you take all the time you need".

Calleigh left Ryan leaning up against the wall and returned to the party. She was glad that no one asked her about Ryan because she had nothing to offer them as to why he left.

After the remaining presents were opened Frank was feeling in a jolly mood and grabbed Beth and Alexx for a round of Christmas songs. If Calleigh didn't know any better, she would have thought Frank had one too many glasses of punch.

Frank turned up the music and with the help of his two ladies sung 3 songs before it was decided to stop for more food. As the crowd was gathered around the table eating, talking and laughing, one lonely soul wandered in without being seen.

Ryan sat down at the tables in the back and watched his friends and co-workers as they enjoyed the festivities. He was grateful that someone had come up with this idea because they were able to forget about the blackout and have fun with the evening. He just wished he could enjoy it, but the memories of one particular Christmas was as fresh in his mind as the day it had happened. He didn't know if he would ever forget it, but he knew he owed it to his friends to tell them why he didn't like Christmas. He just didn't know how to started talking about it.

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Calleigh was standing next to Eric enjoying the food when she looked toward the door and stared at it as if expecting Ryan to choose that exact moment to come back in. Something out of the corner of her eye caused her to look over in the corner of the room and she spotted Ryan. She smiled as she walked over to him and took a seat next to him.

"Hey Ryan, can I get you something to eat?"

"No thanks Calleigh, but I appreciate the offer. So when do you think the power will come back on?"

Calleigh thought he might have been trying to get everyone to leave by his remark, but she chose to ignore her suspicions, "I don't know. Last time it took awhile, so we could be here until morning. Say I think you should come on over and join us. We were just about to listen to one of Franks stories, and at the rate he's going it's sure to be a good one".

"Yeah sure, sounds good".

Calleigh stood up and grabbed Ryan's hands to pull him up. Once he was standing she gently nudged him toward the rest of the group.

The group was now getting comfy on the two couches that were at the other end of the room. As Ryan walked up he saw that Alexx was patting the seat next to her as she looked straight at him. He walked over and sat down. He was a little surprised when she put her arm around him and squeezed his shoulder, but he was glad that she didn't ask him how he was doing. He felt a little awkward after leaving the room like he did, but no one seems to be reminding him of his earlier actions. This made it easier to be hanging out with everyone again.

Frank waited for everyone to get comfortable before beginning, "Well, I this has been fun. I want to say a special thank you to Calleigh and Beth for putting all of this together. I couldn't think of a better group of people to hang out with than you guys".

Beth looked at Frank and suddenly threw the one of her gifts at him, "Oh Frank, stop being so sappy. I thought you were going to tell us one of your stories".

Frank threw the ball back at Beth and continued, "Yes my story. Well this story takes us back to when I was a mere boy of 6. It was the first year for me and my brothers to spend Christmas at my grandmother's house, but I didn't want to go. I was afraid that Santa would never find us way out in the woods".

Before Frank could continue he was interrupted by Eric who had to chime in on something he had said. "So Frank, did you have to go over the bridge and through the woods to get to grandmothers house".

Frank just glared at Eric for a moment before saying, "Yes my grandmother lived out in the woods, but for your information there was no bridge. Now can I continue with my story Mr. Smarty?"

Eric smiled and laughed as he said, "Yeah Frank, please continue".

"Thank you, well let's see, where was I. Oh yes, I was so afraid that Santa would not find me so I came up with a plan to make sure he did. I made a big note and left it by our Christmas tree. The note said to follow the paper trail to find us. For 2 weeks I did nothing but write my name and my grandmothers address on bright red pieces of paper. So when the day came for us to drive out there I started leaving a trail. It started from the Christmas tree to the car and from there I preceded the throw the folded up papers out the window. It wasn't a long trip but luckily I had enough to make it most of the way so by the time we got to the house I was pretty confident that Santa would find us. My brothers thought I was nuts and said that the paper would most likely get blown away or buried by the snow, but all I did was tell them that as long as Santa found a few along the way it would remind him of where we were".

"So here we were at my grandmother's house and it was Christmas Eve. Our parents were helping prepare the meal and us kids were helping decorate the tree when the door bell rang. My brother Dave went to answer it and then yelled that it was for me. When I went to the door my mouth fell open; here standing in the doorway was Santa himself. I couldn't believe it, my plan had worked. It didn't even dawn on me that Santa had come early".

"My grandmother walked over and invited the man in for dinner. I couldn't believe my luck. I was so afraid that Christmas was ruined and now I was having dinner with the big man himself. While he watched us put ornaments on the tree the door bell rang and my brother went to answer the door and once again he called me to come and see who it was. I ran over and saw that it was Santa Clause. Well this was confusing to me since I had just left the guy in the other room. Grandma came over and invited him to stay for dinner as well. So for the rest of the evening a total of 5 Santa's showed up at my grandmother's house. I gotta tell you that I was more confused than ever. It was hard for a six year old to understand why there were so many Santa's, but we were all having so much fun that I forgot to ask".

"It was one of the most memorable Christmas's I have ever had. It turns out that those 5 Santa's knew my grandmother and had actually found the notes with her address on it. They decided to make my Christmas the best, but none of them realized that there would be 5 of them".

Eric was pretending to be touched by the story by wiping imaginary tears, "Oh Frank, that was such a beautiful story". He continued to wipe the tears away and pretended to blow his nose when a cookie suddenly landed on his lap. He looked at the culprit and found that it was Frank.

"Well Mr. Smarty, if you have a better story then I suggest you share it with us".

Eric put his finger up to his chin and thought a second before saying, "Ok Frank, I have a story I can share with everyone".

-

Before Eric started his story Horatio looked in Ryan's direction again and saw that he looked a little uncomfortable. He had been keeping an eye on him during the story and saw that if anything the story made Ryan look worse. He wish he knew Ryan's story and hoped that he would use this time tonight to heal some old wounds and share his tale with everyone.

Horatio sat back and waited for Eric to start his story.

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**Author's note: Well this story suddenly got harder than I thought it would be to write. I know exactly where the story is going, but coming up with interesting stories from everyone's past was something I didn't realize would be so hard. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to have the next one up soon. **

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	5. Chapter 5

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Eric sat before everyone and began his tale, "Ok, well my tale is a little more humorous than Franks, even though I couldn't help but laugh as I tried to picture Frank as a six year old". This statement caused laughter to erupt from the group; well most of the group. Frank just stared at him like he was about to hit him and then he started to laugh as well. Ryan didn't laugh, but if Horatio was correct, he did see a smirk on the young man's face.

Eric waited until the laughter had stopped and then proceeded with his story, "Ok, this is a story that goes back when I was a young lad of 12. It was a particular warm December and it was making everyone kind of grumpy. My sister Marisol and I really wanted to give our mother something she wanted since she was one of those in a bad mood. So for weeks we tried to find out what she wanted but didn't have any luck. She always said that seeing our happy smiling faces on Christmas day was enough. But we kept trying to find out and she kept saying the same thing, but about a week before Christmas she changed her tune and said she wished it would snow for Christmas. You see we never got snow where we lived, but she remembered it from her childhood".

"Well this gave us an idea; we were going to make it snow for Christmas. Only we didn't know how. We asked every adult we knew how to make snow and they would just laugh at us and say that we couldn't make snow. Well we were not about to let that stop us. We thought about everything that was white and fluffy like snow and decided that we would fill the back yard with it, so when mom woke up she would look out the window and see snow; or at least what looked like snow".

"Marisol and I proceeded to collect as many white cotton balls, bags of shaved coconut and cans of shaving cream that we could get our hands on. It wasn't easy but we asked everyone we knew and before too long we had quite a bit. On Christmas Eve we snuck out to the back yard; which luckily wasn't very big, and started putting down the coconut. Then we put the cotton balls down and lastly the shaving cream. We didn't have enough, but we thought it looks impressive. We went to bed expecting it to still look like that in the morning".

"When morning came we had forgotten one little thing, and that was our dog. Since our back yard was fenced in we just let Spike us the doggy door when he wanted to go out. We didn't think about this so that morning instead of our mother waking up to a window that overlooked a snow filled backyard, she woke up to Spike sitting on her rather expensive quilt covered in shaving cream, cotton balls and coconut".

Eric paused for a moment as laughter once again erupted from the group. Even Ryan couldn't hide the laughter this time. When the sounds died down Eric continued, "From the looks of him he must have been rolling around in it. It was such a mess and it took all morning to clean it up that we had forgotten it was Christmas day. It was way past noon by the time we realized it. Marisol and I were expecting our mom to cancel Christmas and punish us for the rest of our lives, but instead she laughed about it and thought it would be one of her most memorable Christmas's".

"For many years after that day our mother gave each of us our very own can of shaving cream covered in cotton balls and a bag of coconut. She told us she never wanted to forget that Christmas. Now that I am older I found myself agreeing with her".

When Eric was done with his story, Calleigh spoke up. "Oh Eric, that was a cute story. I could almost picture you and Marisol doing that".

"Yeah, that was a good memory. I still have a picture somewhere of spike. So how about you Calleigh, you have any good stories to share?"

"As a matter of fact I do".

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Author's Note: sorry this is a short chapter, but I will have another chapter posted later one that will be much longer. I hope you liked Eric's story. And for all of you who can't wait for Ryan's story it's coming soon.


	6. Chapter 6

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As Calleigh had been listening to Frank and Eric tell their stories, she had been watching Ryan's reactions. He seemed to cringe when Frank would mention Santa and seemed distracted when Eric was talking about his sister. Ryan's past was still a mystery to her, but she thought if she didn't provide such a cute and happy story then maybe he would be willing to finally open up to everyone.

She waited for everyone to get a refill of food or punch before she started her story. "Well this is a story that may not bring any laughs as the last two, but it is definitely one that I will never forget". Calleigh paused to get more comfortable in her chair before continuing. She also glanced over at Ryan and was happy that he was still willing to listen to more stories. "Ok, most of you have met my father on one or more occasions, well this story centers on him and how we almost didn't have Christmas that year".

"My father was working a lot at the end of the year to pay the bills and to also make sure we had a good Christmas. I usually only saw him a few minutes in the morning before going to school and would be in bed sleeping by the time he got home. My mother seemed to be alright with it at first, but as he got home later and later each day, she was beginning to have doubts about all the hours he was putting in. She tried to ask him about it when he got home, but he would deny everything. This only caused more friction in the household and I was beginning to think we were not going to spend the holidays together".

"A few days before Christmas he finally confessed to us what he had been doing. He had been removed from all of his current cases because he showed up drunk to court one day. They had decided to give him a chance to clean himself up by having him do community service at night in hopes he might see where he was headed. He wasn't sure how to tell us so he made the decision to hide it and pretended he was just working a lot. It turns out he was just doing that to keep his job. He told us he was very sorry that there was no money for presents since his salary was reduced while he was working at the community center".

"This was just too much for me because this wasn't the first time his drinking had gotten in the way of family plans. I blamed him for ruining Christmas and refused to come out of my room for a whole day. My dad tried to talk to me and tell me that things would work out. He said that any kind or presents would have to wait until next year when he could afford them, but It wasn't the presents that I was upset about, it was the fact that I had lost the father I knew from before. He had been such a devoted father, doing everything he could to make sure my mother and I had what we needed, and then he goes and almost loses his job".

"My mother tried to get me to talk to him; which I finally did on Christmas Eve. I didn't want to spend the holidays locked away in my room so I went down to the community center with my mom. When we got there I was so surprised to see how many people were there for a free meal on Christmas Eve. We found my dad busy in the kitchen preparing food; it was a side of him I had never seen before. From the look on my mother's face, neither had she. We were told to wait for him in the dining room, so we went joined another family at one of the tables. While my mom talked to the parents I sat next to a little girl who was probably only a year younger than me. We started talking and she told us that her dad had lost his job a few months back. They had been coming to the shelter for the past few weeks because their money had all dried up. She showed me a doll that she had gotten from one of the workers at the shelter and she knew it would most likely be her only present this year, but she didn't' care. As long as she was with her family nothing else mattered".

"While I was talking to her, my father came out of the kitchen and started walking toward us. We were playing with her doll when she suddenly stopped and pointed to someone. As I turned to see who it was, I found myself looking at my father. She told me that he was the one who had given her the doll and that he was such a nice man to do that".

"I looked at my father with different eyes that Christmas Eve. I had been so upset with him for ruining my Christmas that I forgot what the season was all about. That night my mother and I stayed with dad and helped him serve the food. It was one of the best Christmas's I had ever had, and to this day I try and find time during Christmas to volunteer. That little girl taught me that no matter what happens, as long as you have your family everything will be alright".

When the story was done Natalia spoke up with tears in her eyes, "Oh Calleigh, that was such a sweet story. Thank you for sharing it with us".

"You're welcome Natalia. As long as I am with family, nights like this are easy to get through". She looked around the room and smiled at everyone, but she stopped when her eyes fell upon Ryan. He was looking more uncomfortable than ever. She was hoping her story would have had the exact opposite effect. She looked at everyone again and said, "Hey why don't we take a break for more food?"

Eric stood up at the mention of food, "Sure Calleigh sounds good, but I hope we can come back to more stories; I am really enjoying this".

Hearing Eric wanting more stories made Ryan's face go pale. He stood up with the others, but instead of heading to the food, he bolted out of the room. Calleigh noticed and was about to go out after him, but it was Horatio who stopped her, "I'll go check on him".

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Ryan had gone to the lab to try and spend the rest of the night alone. The stories were getting to be too much and he was not feeling well. He didn't want to spoil anyone's night so he thought it was best to go back to work. He wasn't sorry he had gone to the party, but after the last story he knew it was time to leave. He was putting his lab coat back on when he noticed Horatio coming through the door.

Horatio came in and leaned against the door, "Mr. Wolfe, are you planning on going back to work?"

"Yeah, I thought it was time. I didn't want anyone to think I was getting paid to be on break".

Horatio knew this was just an excuse, "Well, you know your shift was over an hour ago. There is nothing here that can't wait until tomorrow".

"I know H, but all the stories were just getting to be a little too sappy for me. I was starting to fall asleep".

"Are you sure there isn't another reason for your departure?"

"No, I just needed to get some air, that's all".

Horatio came closer to Ryan and said, "I can't begin to understand why Christmas is so hard on you, but I want you to know that I am here to listen if you're willing to tell your story".

Ryan looked up at Horatio and could see that the man was genuine in his statement. He was getting tired of feeling this way at Christmas and it was the way Horatio's eyes looked right at that moment that made him just want to say why he hated this time of year. He knew that if there was anyone who would not feel sorry for him it was Horatio. "I really want to tell you, but I don't know if I'm ready. I have had so many bad memories tonight that I don't really know how much more I can take. I am getting so tired of all of this. I just wished Christmas was already over with".

Horatio placed his hand on Ryan's shoulder, "Why don't you tell me what's bothering you. It might make you feel better".

Ryan started tugging at his coat collar as he stared at the floor, "I know I should, but I don't think I can".

"Take your time, I'll be here waiting".

Ryan took off his coat and sat down at the desk in the corner. He swiveled the chair in Horatio's direction and just stared at him for a moment. "I've been waiting for too long to talk about this. The reason why I don't celebrate Christmas is because……

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Calleigh was surprised that Horatio had wanted to go and check on Ryan and she was even more surprised when neither had returned yet. Everyone had already loaded up on more goodies and had sat down to listen to one especially disastrous Christmas that Natalia had involving a fully decorated tree and the cat that climbed it. It sounded like a good story but she was too distracted by her missing friends to be really listening. When it seemed like Natalia was done with her story she got up to go and find Horatio and Ryan.

She walked toward the lab and heard voices coming from inside. She stood outside the door considering how to make an entrance when she heard Ryan start to tell Horatio why he didn't like Christmas. She decided not to open the door so that Ryan could finally tell someone, but her concern for Ryan was so strong that she stayed outside the door and listened.

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"The reason I don't like Christmas is because of something that happened when I was 10 years old". Ryan paused as the memories came flooding in.

Horatio pulled up a chair while he patiently waited for him to continue.

Ryan sighed loudly as he pushed the memories back and continued, "It was 2 days before Christmas and it was the first day of winter break. My older brother Thomas, younger sister Rachel and I were hanging out at home while our parents went out and did a few last minute errands. They told Tom and me to watch our sister while they were gone and we told them we would".

"Once they were gone we played a little but eventually got tired of playing her games; since they all seemed to revolve around Santa and his reindeer. You see Rachel was only 7 and she still believed in Santa, so it was only natural that she was excited and wanted to play these types of games. When we told her we didn't feel like playing these games anymore she decided that she would write another letter to Santa". Ryan suddenly stopped as tears started rolling down on his face. He brushed them away with his sleeve, but kept his eyes covered. He didn't want Horatio to see him crying.

He took a few deep breathes and finally continued. "As she was writing her letter we got bored and decided to kid her about Santa. We were just a couple of stupid boys who had nothing better to do but pick on their sister". Ryan suddenly looked Horatio directly in the eyes and said, "I don't know why we did it Horatio; how could we do that to her?"

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Author's Note: Sorry for the cliffhanger, but If you had read any of my other stories; you know I like to put some suspense in them. The next chapter will be up on Christmas Eve and you will all find out the answer.


	7. Chapter 7

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Author's Note: There may have been indications on the show that Ryan is Jewish, but he is not in my story.

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Ryan leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling trying to keep the tears from flowing down. He was reluctant to go on as the images of that one Christmas were all he could see.

Horatio had a very sympathetic look on his face as he looked at Ryan. He would have like nothing more that to give him a hug and tell him everything would be alright, but he knew that Ryan's only response would be one of confusion.

After a few more minutes of silence Ryan sat back up and took a few more deep breathes all the while avoiding Horatio's gaze. "I'm sorry about that Horatio; it's just that I haven't thought this deeply about that Christmas for a very long time".

"That's alright son, just take your time and if you have to stop again I'll understand".

Ryan finally looked at Horatio and continued, "Thomas and I were bored so we went to see what Rachel was doing. We found her writing her third letter to Santa so we started making fun of her. We were just kidding about everything we said; how were we supposed to know she would take us seriously". Ryan stopped once again as the memory became too vivid.

After a few moments Ryan continued, "We started telling her stuff like Santa may not make it to our house because of all the snow, but if he does he will most likely get stuck in the chimney since it was so dirty. We just kept going on and on about that damn chimney being so dirty; why did we have to do that to her? She was only 7 years old. We didn't know she would take us seriously". Ryan stopped again, but this time he stood up as if trying to escape the rest of the story.

Horatio waited, but when he realized that Ryan wasn't going to continue he stood up and went over to him. "You need to tell me what happened, this guilt you are feeling needs to be released if you're ever going to get past it". When he didn't get a response he decided to take a stronger approach, "tell me what happened to your sister?"

The tone in Horatio's voice finally snapped Ryan out of the visions currently swirling around in his mind. He turned and looked at Horatio, "We killed her ok. After we left her alone in her room, she climbed up on the roof shortly to get a better look at the chimney, and when she was up there she fell in and broke her neck. It wasn't until Christmas Day that we finally found her". Having said that, Ryan bolted out of the room; passing a shocked looking Calleigh as he went by.

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Horatio started to go after him but stopped when he found Calleigh outside the door, "Did you hear all of that?"

Calleigh had tears in her eyes as she said, "I did Horatio. No wonder he doesn't like Christmas. We have to go and find him".

"I agree; which way did he go".

Calleigh pointed to the left, "he went toward the parking lot".

The two of them hurried to find their friend. As they opened the door to the parking lot they saw the light of dawn coming up in the horizon and realized that they had been at the station all night.

The little bit of sun light was just enough for them to look around at the cars. As they walked to Ryan's car they saw that he was sitting in the front see with his head down on the steering wheel. Horatio lightly knocked on the window and waited for a response.

Ryan slowly lifted his head up, but had to wipe the tears away just to see who it was. He opened the door allowing Horatio and Calleigh more access to him, "I'm sorry for running out of there, I just couldn't handle it anymore".

"You have nothing to be sorry for. What you told me would have been hard for anyone to relive and I apologize for being the one who made you go through it again. You must also know that you were not responsible for what happened".

"I know Horatio, I actually came to terms with it a while ago, but I never dealt with the feeling I would have at Christmas time. After we found my sister my parents never celebrated Christmas again and they did all they could to make sure we were not exposed to it, but when I was out on my own there was no one to protect me from the feelings and emotions that would be come from the holiday. I have always just avoided it hoping it would get better, but I'm glad that I toly you. But please don't make me go back inside. I really just want to go home now".

"I understand. Since the sun is coming up I think it would be ok for you to be on the streets. But I want you to do one thing for me if you feel up to it".

"I don't know; I really just want to be alone today".

"I think it's time for you to stop being alone on this day. I want you to come to my place later on and spend the rest of the day with Kyle and me. There is something that I was going to introduce Kyle to and I would like you to be part of it".

"I'll think about it, but I can't make any promises".

Horatio smiled at Ryan, "Ok; no promises then. Drive safely and I'll see you later". Horatio backed away and shut the door. He stood with Calleigh as the both of them watched Ryan drive off.

Calleigh had stayed quiet the whole time, but now that Ryan was gone she was no longer silent. "How could you just let him go off by himself like that? He should be with someone today".

"He needs to be alone for awhile. He needs some time to let his feeling fall back into place; now that they're out there for all to see". He put his arm around Calleigh's shoulder and led her back inside.

They walked back to the break room and saw that everyone was still there. Everyone had been worried about Ryan and came up to find out where he was. Horatio told them that he had gone home and that everyone should really do that as well since it would be morning soon. He told them to go and be with their families or whoever they were planning on spending it with and enjoy every moment of it.

They wanted to know why Ryan had left and if he had said anything, but Horatio just told them that perhaps in time Ryan could tell them himself. He said it really wasn't his place to say anything since Ryan was not here. They all accepted this and reluctantly went home.

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When Horatio arrived home he found Kyle sleeping on the couch. He decided not to wake him and went into his bedroom to lie down. He hoped that Ryan would show up later, but he would not force him. This was something that would definitely take time.

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It was the sound of the doorbell ringing that woke Horatio out of his slumber. As he was getting up he heard Kyle yelling that there was someone at the door for him.

When he walked to the front door a big smile formed on his face as he saw Ryan standing there. "Ryan, I'm so glad you decided to join us, please come in". He led Ryan to the living room where he motioned for the young man to sit down. "Please make yourself comfortable while I go and get cleaned up. I would like to take you some place special before we eat something".

Ryan nodded his head and sunk back into the couch. Kyle had also come in by this time and was sitting on the recliner. While they were waiting for Horatio the two talked about what they would be doing and neither had a clue. Ryan felt a little awkward being at his boss's house on such a family orientated day, but it was better than spending it alone.

As soon as Horatio was ready the three of them loaded about 4 big bags into the back and then got in the car as Horatio drove them to their destination.

When they finally stopped Ryan saw that they were outside a children's hospital.

Horatio noticed Ryan's confused look and decided to explain. "This is something I have been doing for the past 20 years now. Every Christmas day I go and spend it with children who are too sick to be at home for Christmas. I dress up like Santa and pass out presents. It's not much but it does make them feel better. You see, when I was a kid I spent one Christmas in the hospital and I was very sick. They were not sure I would even make it so this caused everyone who came to see me on Christmas day to be in a very sad mood. But it was the man who was dressed up like Santa that helped me see that all was not lost. Just because I was sick didn't mean that everyone had to be sad around me. He did more for me that Christmas than anyone else did and I never forgot it. I eventually got better and after that I decided I would try and give something back. So for the last 20 years I have been coming here and playing Santa in hopes that they would see that Christmas is a day to be happy.

Ryan was touched that Horatio chose to include him in something so personal. Being around everyone for Christmas wasn't easy on him at first, but by the time they left for home he had a renewed sense of the Christmas spirit. For many Christmas's after that he chose to spend it with Horatio at the hospital. Just seeing the kids there trying to overcome their illnesses or at least forgetting them for awhile to just enjoy the day was enough to convince him that Christmas was something to celebrate.

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Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate it, and Happy Holidays to those who don't. I hope you enjoyed this little Christmas tale.


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